Laundry machine



Sept. 9, 1969 w. 1,. WENDT 3,465,549

LAUNDRY MACHINE Filed Feb. 19, 1969 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 mvmoa MILL/7RD L. wEA/Ur HTTOR/UEX W. L. WENDT LAUNDRY MACHINE km 9, W69

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4 Sheets-Sheet 4 RINSE RINSE DISCHARGE EXTRACT HEAT Sept Q 1939 Filed Feb. 19, 1969 I II I II I I I]. ll l l I I I- I llllllllltll'll lUHSH DRY LORD

United States Patent 3,465,549 LAUNDRY MACHINE Willard L. Wendt, 12000 SW. 69th Court, Miami, Fla. 33156 Filed Feb. 19, 1969, Ser. No. 800,410 Int. Cl. D06f 31/00 US. Cl. 68-10 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus and process for laundering articles in discrete batches which includes a frame and a pair of lengths of links in parallel relation and defining a circuitous path along the frame, and perforate containers for holding the batches with means to connect the containers to the lengths for travel between a loading station and an unloading station and through soak, wash, rinse, and extract and drying stations. The stations are arranged in stacked relation so that a minimum amount of space is required for the installation of the machine, such as in a hospital or commercial laundry.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved laundry machine to wash, rinse, extract and dry 21 large number of pounds of laundry per hour with a single operator and which machine includes advantages of a lower or reduced usage of water, chemicals, heat and electrical energy, is adapted to be easily installed, requires less floor space than conventional laundry machines, launders discrete or separate batches of material, is characterized by low maintenance cost, and confines the heat dissipated by the machine to a single, small area.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a laun dry machine which is particularly appropriate for hospital installations and in which each of the separate batches of material being washed do not come in contact with one another in passage through the cycle of the machine so that batches of relatively dirty or soiled material may be washed after batches of relatively clean material have been washed or in such other sequence as is desired; for instance, batches from one ward in a hospital may be separated from the batches of other wards.

It is a general object of this invention to provide an improved laundry machine which includes a frame within a housing and in which discrete batches of material to be washed are moved between a loading station and an unloading station and sequentially through stations at which they are subjected to the operations of soaking, washing, removal of excess wash water, rinsing, and drying, and in which the material being washed may be subjected to more than one cycle without loading or unloading, the said machine including an improved means for moving the materials through the cycle of the machine in discrete, separate, perforate, continuously-moving, chain driven containers.

It is a general object of this invention to provide an improved laundry machine which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and which is adapted for installation at a site of relatively small floor space and which requires a relatively low maintenance cost.

It is another object of this invention to provide a laundry machine of compact construction which is characterized by movement of containers, each containing discrete or separate batches of material to be washed, with movement of the containers through the machine being in four separate stages, each at a separate level, a first direction of movement through soak and wash stations, an opposite or return movement through a rinsing station above the soak and wash stations, a third stage of movement through a drying station above the rinse station,

Patented Sept. 9, 1969 and a fourth and final direction of movement beneath the soak and wash station.

It is also a general object of this invention to provide an improved laundry machine which provides for the laundering of discrete batches of material in a continuous opelration of separate sequential steps of a laundering cyc e.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the laundry device which has been partly broken away for illustrative purposes;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the device illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view in cross section taken along the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 4 is a partial view taken along the plane indicated by the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 5 is a view in cross section taken along the plane indicated by the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 6 is a view in cross section taken along the plane indicated by the line 66 of FIGURE 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 7 is a view of that portion of FIGURE 4 designated by the line 77 therearound;

FIGURE 8 is a partial elevation view which is partly in cross section and which is taken on the plane indicated by the line 8-8 of FIGURE 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 9 is a view taken along the line designated by the numerals 99 of FIGURE 8 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 10 is a side view of a length of the chain used to drive the perforate containers through the cycle of the laundry machine; and

FIGURE 11 is a schematic view illustrating the steps of the laundering process which characterizes the device.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or similar parts throughout the different views, and referring particularly to FIGURE 1, it is seen that there is provided a housing 12 including guide means 13 effective to constrain travel of a plurality of chain driven perforate containers 14, each with a discrete batch of articles to be washed, along a predetermined path through the housing, into and out of a plurality of stations where separate laundering operations are performed and ultimately to a discharge station G (righthand side of FIGURE 1) where the washed material is removed from the containers. It will be helpful to refer to FIGURE 11, in which the process is shown schematically, before describing the structure of the apparatus in detail. In this figure it is seen that at station A articles of clothing are loaded into one of the containers and moved sequentially through soak station B, wash station C, ex tract station D, where excess wash water is removed from the articles, through rinse station E, and, finally, through the drying station F, which may include additional extracting, as by passage through a duct in which heated air is circulated, the path terminating at discharge station G.

The perforate containers 14 are constrained to travel through the housing stations sequentially by chain means 18, see FIGURE 5, by movement along a pair of closed or continuous paths which are arranged in parallel relation with one another tracing a circuitous path through the housing, i.e., past the stations. Each of the plurality of container 14 provided within the housing are carried in spanning relation of the paths by chain means and at regularly spaced intervals therealong. As seen in FIG- URE 10, the chain means 18 which are preferably two closed loops, each comprise a length of interconnected roller links 20, each length including a number of spaced bearing links 24. The bearing links 24 of the two paths are arranged opposite one another and are spanned by the containers to support and carry them along the path, as will now be explained.

Referring to FIGURE 4, it is seen that the containers 14 are each of drum-like configuration with a perforate cylindrical side wall 32, the ends of which are closed by opposite end caps 34 and 36. A suitable perforate access door 38, see FIGURE 1, is provided in the side wall to charge articles of clothing to be washed into the hollow of the drum. For connection to the chain means, axial extensions 40 and 42 are provided on each of the containers, and the opposite distal ends 44 and 46 of these extensions are received within a pair of the opposed bearing links of the chain means, such as that designated by the numeral 24 in FIGURE 10. Means effective to rotate the containers about their respective axes to tumble the articles being washed within their respective containers are provided intermediate the distal ends 44 and 46 and the end caps 34 and 36 on each container. The said means are designated by the numeral 25 and will be explained more fully hereinafter.

The predetermined path through the housing may be traced by following the arrowed lines of FIGURE 3 from the loading station A to the discharge station G. The guide means 13 comprises surfaces 27 upon which the roller links 20 roll and are supported and which guide the bearing links of the chain means, and, consequently, the carried containers between these stations and through these stations in a preferred manner. The guide means also include pairs of spaced, opposing, driven sprocket wheels or direction switches, such as that designated by the numeral 50 in FIGURE 3, at station A, and as seen in FIGURE 5. Each of the sprocket wheels is supported by the frame as on a rod, such as that designated by the numeral 52 in FIGURE 5. Also, main drive means 54 for the machine are provided, as seen at the right of FIG- URE 3, preferably arranged to cause the parallel chain links to be driven continuously at a slow, constant velocity, and to this end the drive means may comprise a main driving sprocket 60 driven by a pulley 61 connected to a motor 62.

Reference will now be made to the soak and wash stations of the laundry machine. Station B, comprising the soak station, includes a pan 70 supported in spanning relation of the frame and in which a preferred level of water is maintained. The washing station C preferably comprises a pan 72 which is adjacent the pan 70 and these stations, the pan 70 and 72, may be a single, large pan separated by a septum means 74 or end wall.

At station E, the rinse station, several rinse chambers 73 and 75 are preferably provided, such as that indicated by pan 76, the chambers being separated by septum means, such as 78 and 80, into separate bodies of water, and this station may also include chambers such as the chambers 82 and 84 in which a bath of a suitable bleach or chemical may be contained. The soaking and washing operations of stations B and C are preferably performed at about the same horizontal level, and the rinsing operation of station E is performed at another level immediately above the soaking and washing operation with the materials being moved in one direction through the medium plane of the soaking and washing level and in an opposite direction along the corresponding plane of the upper rinsing level. Intermediate the washing station C and the rinsing station E, that is, between the two levels, the extracting station D is preferably arranged, and, in accordance with structure which will be explained, the extract of water is recollected in the wash station. Between the rinse station E and the discharge station G, the drying station is provided. As seen in FIGURE 3, it comprises a duct extending substantially across the upper portion of the machine above the rinsing station and terminating at an opening 92 at the discharge station G. Preferably, the drying station includes an extractor means 94 arranged above the end portion of the rinse station so that the extracted water may be recollected at that station. Additional extractor means may be provided, such as at 96, intermediate the rinse station and intermediate the chamber 82 and the rinse chambers 75 and 82.

The extractor means of station D at the central righthand portion of FIGURE 3 are illustrated in FIGURE 9, which will now be described. At station D, as the container 14 moves in a vertical direction between the switch means or sprockets 50' of the guide means above and below the extractor station, that is, at the terminus of the direction of travel through the level of the soak and wash stations and at the commencement of the travel through the level of the rinse station, a rapid spin about the axis of the container 14 takes place to rapidly tumble the articles and spin excess water from them. The means 25 effective to rotate the containers about their axes comprise the gear teeth extending radially on the axial extensions 40 and 42 between the end caps 34 and 36 and the ends 44 and 46 as seen in FIGURE 4. These gears engage companionately-shaped teeth or a pair of driven loop-type belts 98 and 100 which are arranged in parallel relation on opposite sides of the travel path of each of the means 25 of each container. The belts are suitably supported for rotation, as by the rods designated by the numerals 104 and 106, one of which is driven, to which pulleys 108 and 110 are journalled and sized and arranged to locate the teeth of the belts tangent thereto and in meshing relation with the teeth of the means 25. Tightening means 112 may be provided to keep the belts tight and may comprise a fixed gear to mesh with the outboard side of the pulley with the gear being laterally movable in a suitable guide means. In operation, the belts of the extractor means are rapidly driven which through the connection of the belt teeth and the teeth of the gear means and means 25 rotates the container about its axis with the excess water being driven through the perforations of the container and being collected. The belts ordinarily are stationary, and as the extensions enter the space 37 between the belts, the space is slightly enlarged against a normal biasing force of a spring 39 tending to constrict the opening and in this manner to actuate a drive means for the belts to make them move to accelerate the speed of the same to spin the containers rapidly until a similar spring biased switch member 39' senses the passage of the container and stops the belt drive.

Additional extractor means of a similar structure are provided intermediate the terminus of the rinse level and prior to entry into the duct 90 of the drying level.

The means 25 to rotate the containers about their respective axes are also employed in the soak and rinse stations. As seen in FIGURE 3, a plurality of racks 114 are provided tangent to and in the path of movement of the teeth so that as the moving chain links 18 travel the containers through the soak and wash stations, the teeth 18 engage the teeth of the gear rack to gently rotate the containers and tumble articles being washed within it to promote washing action. As seen in FIGURE 3, the gear racks are arranged at different levels within the rinse station and also in the wash station with the sprockets or switch means of the guide means being effective to switch the containers between the levels of gear racks in these stations and also to move the containers between the rinse and wash stations and between the separate chambers of the rinse station. It will be seen that the cycle of operation is characterized by lateral movement, preferably counter to a direction of fiow of water in the soak and wash stations, and in a first direction of movement through the machine at a first level and, thereafter, to a counter direction of movement at an elevated level through rinse stations, and, subsequently, through the drying station which is above the rinse station in a direction the same as that of passage through the soak and wash stations to the discharge station G where the washed articles are removed, whereupon the containers return beneath the soak and wash stations to the loading station A in the same direction as passage through the rinse station. By this construction there is provided a compact unit which is adapted to occupy a small amount of floor space and efficiently wash discrete batches of clothing and maintain them separate from one another. By means of this construction, the containers are continuously moved through the machine at a slow velocity with suitable switch means being provided to change direction and if desired to alter the movement of a container being loaded at the loading station. The containers are of perforated material, and the access door is of the circumferentially slidable type as seen in FIGURE 6 having a flange 116 extending radially outwardly of the circumference of it, preferably, and effective for circumferential movement to open and close the entrance to the interior.

The present apparatus and process does not require that the articles being washed be handled in movement between the various operations and, therefore, reduces the likelihood of contaminated material of one batch coming in contact with or being handled by the same operator handling separate batches of relatively clean material. It will be apparent from the foregoing description that this apparatus is compact, and it is intended to be embodied in a machine of a total overall height adapted to be installed within the ceiling height limitations of most laundry installations. Regulation of the operation is achieved by the speed of the drive chain which in a preferred installation is in the order of about three feet per minute for a machine in which the run in one direction, that is, from the left-hand side of the machine to the right-hand side of the machine, is about twenty-five feet. The preferred revolutions per minute in the various segments of travel in the wash station during which rotation takes place is about 5 revolutions per minute, while in the extract segments of the travel, it is preferred that the revolutions be increased upwardly to, for instance, 500 revolutions per minute. The temperature for the drying is that which is selected as appropriate for the material being handled. The temperature of somewhat less than 180 degrees Fahrenheit is preferred since for most materials this does not cause scorching; and in the preferred embodiment the heat may be introduced at various stations along the length of the drying portion of the travel of the containers.

While in the preferred embodiment disclosed the soak and wash segment of the travel is immediately below the rinse segment of the travel, which takes place in a counterdirection, it will be apparent that variations in the height. wise location of the segments of the travel may be made without interference with the basic plan achieving compactness of design of a first run for the soaking and washing phases and a return run of a counter-direction from the discharge station to the loading station.

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry machine including a frame,

conveyor means arranged in parallel relation and tracing a circuitous, predetermined path along the frame between a loading station and a discharge station, drive means to move the conveyor means,

means on the frame to support and to guide the conveyor means along the path.

a plurality of spaced containers of openwork construction,

means connecting each of the containers in spaced relation along and in spanning relation of the conveyor means,

access means for each container for charging articles to be washed into the container and for removing the articles,

a plurality of first open top tanks supported by the frame at a first level, and

a separate, second plurality of open top tanks supported by the frame at the second level spaced vertically relative to said first level,

the tanks of said first plurality comprising adjacent soak and wash tanks and the tanks of said second plurality comprising rinse tanks,

guide means on the frame and in engagement with the conveyor means to guide and travel the containers along the path cyclically through (1) the soak and wash tank of the first level in a first direction of rotation, (2) vertically between said levels to said second level, and (3) through said tanks of said second level in a direction of travel opposite to and counter of the direction of movement through the tanks of the first level, said levels being in stacked relation, and

means to dry the articles in the containers, said means being arranged along the path between the second level and the discharge station.

2. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means to dry is arranged at a third level vertically spaced relative to said first and second levels and said guide means are arranged to travel the containers from said second level to said third level.

3. The improvement as set forth in claim 2 wherein said drying means includes extracting means and means to flow heated air over, under and around the containers to dry articles contained therein.

4. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein means are provided to rotate the containers in the tanks.

5. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein extract means are provided along the path to rotate said containers on movement between the first level and the second level at an angular velocity sufficient to extract excess water fro-m articles in the container.

6. The improvement as set forth in claim 5 wherein said means to spin is effective to spin the containers about the axis spanning the conveyor means while said axis continues to move between said first and said second level.

7. The improvement as set forth in claim 6 wherein said means to spin the containers comprises avmember on each container having teeth radially extending from the axis of spin of the container spanning the conveyor means, said teeth being arranged to inter-engage companionate teeth of driven parallel belts in the path of travel of the teeth of the member and means to drive said belt at a linear speed effective to spin the container at a relatively high angular velocity while the teeth are inter-engaging.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,480,414 1/1924 Petti 68-10 1,845,422 2/1932 Knutsen 6810 2,574,752 11/1951 Olson 68--10 2,622,344 12/1952 Newman 34126 WILLIAM I. PRINCE, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 68-19.2 

